Forbidden Fruit
by pantera-tease
Summary: AU. Madeline is sent to England on business. One thing leads to another, and she finds herself stuck in an underground sex club, falling into the arms of the owner, Arthur Kirkland. EnglandxFem!Canada
1. Landing

_This mother of a plot bunny began hopping around in my mind in the middle of my Advanced US History final. I squealed in excitement and ended up with points being deducted from my final grade for my outburst. I curse my creative mind._

_Besides that, I thought this would be super duper fun to write, so I am. And I am fully aware that I have a few other stories that need to be updated, but this was just so fucking tempting._

_pairing: England/Fem!Canada_

_Rating: M_

_Warnings: Human names used. There will definitely be lemons in the future, because I'm that kind of person. There will be cursing, fighting, and I've already decided to make this have a tragic ending. Just letting you know ahead of time._

_Summary: AU. Madeline is sent to England on business. One thing leads to another, and she finds herself stuck in an underground sex club, falling into the arms of the owner, Arthur Kirkland. EnglandxFem!Canada_

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><p><strong>Forbidden Fruit<strong>

**_Chapter one:_** Landing

Madeline Williams gripped the arm rest of her assigned seat as the plane shook lightly from the turbulence. She _hated_ airplanes. They weren't safe, the rides weren't pleasant, she didn't trust the pilots, and absolutely anything could go wrong at any given moment. She let out a shaky breath as the pilot's voice came through the overhead speakers, apologizing for the inevitable bumps and shakes that were currently taking place.

How did she let her brother, also coworker, talk her into this? He knew she was afraid of flying! Humans were not made to fly, and she enjoyed the ground. It hurt less when you fell if you were closer. She cast a sideways glance to her right to look out the window to see rain hitting the glass and a flash of lightning. She quickly leaned over and slid down the cover, blocking out the storm. She then looked at the screen above the aisle in front of her, it currently had a GPS Tracker stating their position and a timer saying how much longer they have until touchdown in England.

...7 hours.

She groaned and thumped the back of her head against the seat's headrest,shutting her eyes and silently screaming her distaste.

"Not a very good flyer, are we?"

She cracked open an eye to see a pretty flight attendant looking at her. She put on a fake smile and rubbed the side of her face, embarassed.

"I've never exactly liked the idea, but it's business, so I really don't have a choice." she laughed nervously.

The attendant gestured to the cart in front of her. "Would you like some alcohol to take off the edge? It certainly helps the other passengers."

Madeline looked at the cart, seeing dozens of small bottles with either dark brown or clear liquid inside. She had never been one to like alcohol, it made good people do bad things, and the taste was just rancid.

"Um... I'm not really all that of a drinker. Do you have a Coke?"

"Of course!" The lady reached underneath the first tray and opened an ice box, pulling out a red and white can, which held the carbonated sugar that was known world wide. Handing it to her, the attendant smiled sweetly and waved goodbye, pushing the cart down the aisle and serving the other passengers.

Madeline pulled back the tab and downed half the can in one go. She blamed her brother for getting her hooked on the poison. She was more of a tea person, but every time he came over he demanded the soda. Ugh, her brother. He was the one to blame for her disdain. This was originally his job, but he just _had_ to go play football with the guys and twist his ankle. What a wuss.

The reason she was on this plane was because she works for her father. Who happens to be the head of command for Washington's famous museum,_ The Smithsonian_. She had managed to earn the title, Curator, during her time working there. As did her brother, and their father had picked him to travel to London, England and retrieve a precious artifact to go with the _King Tut_ exhibit, and bring it back. But he had his little accident, and so the job was dumped onto her shoulders.

So here she was, on a plane, on her way to London. She sighed again and closed her eyes. trying her best to fall asleep in order to shut everything out.

**XXXXXXX**

_5550 Glencairn Ave._

_Sir Peter Kirkland._

_Don't be late._

_Love Papa._

This was all the card her father gave her said. With a little heart after _Papa_. She stared at it in a trance as she sat on her hotel room's single bed. Where did she even start looking? She had never been here before in her life. She assumed she would just hop into a taxi, read off the address, and _poof!_ She'd be in and out with the artifact in a jiffy. Then she'd get on yet another plane, and be back home in one piece.

Deciding that this would be her plan of action, she stood and dug through her suitcase to find her heavier, black leather jacket. Finding it, she put it on over her dress. She then shoved the card, her wallet, and her cell phone into her pocket and walked out of the door to the elevator. Once she was in the lobby, she exited through the main doors and looked down the street both ways. Absolutely no sign of a car labeled _Taxi_.

She stood there for a total of ten minutes before she grew tired of waiting and looked back at the hotel, finding the address written in gold above the doors.

_4580 Glencairn Ave._

_'Well what are the odds? I'm on the exact same street.'_ With this discovery, she decided to walk to her destination and do a little sightseeing while she was at it.

**XXXXXXX**

Arthur Kirkland leaned against the wall of one of the dark, private rooms in his club. He had been personally requested, yet again, from one of the frequents here at _Forbidden Fruit_. He rolled his eyes in utter boredom as the woman in front of him shook violently, pulling against her bonds connected to the contraption she was currently sitting on. you could say it was shaped like a horse, with her straddling it and her wrists tied behind her back. Her fully developed chest heaving with her ragged breaths. She was moaning uncontrollably and Arthur had to hold back the urge to cover his ears.

"P-please sir, make it go faster!"

He looked across the room to the wall as if there were something extremely interesting on the black painted surface as he spun the dial on the remote in his hand, making the speed of the vibrating machine underneath her sky rocket. She screamed louder and started rocking her hips against the rubber sex toy penetrating her.

He turned the speed up higher, the sooner she comes, the sooner he can get on with his night. he still had three private performances and paperwork to fill out. A few moments later he recieved the scream he was waiting for and turned off the machine as the woman slumped over, coming down from her high. He walked over to her and released her from the leather bonds around her wrists, helping her up to stand.

"You did very well, pet. I'm afraid your time is up, but I'd love to play with that pussy again. So be sure to come back and visit me." He had to hold down the bile threatening to raise from his stomach as he spoke the lie. Losing customers meant losing money, so this was a common game he had to play. He handed her the club's complimentary robe and escorted her to the VIP Room, where his employees would finish the job.

Arthur turned and stalked to his office, where he locked himself inside and quickly made his way to the private bathroom, washing the bodily fluids off his skin and scrubbing the ever living life out of his face. Afterwards he looked at himself in the vanity mirror. Seeing a man in his middle twenties with disheveled blonde locks, emerald eyes, and bushy eyebrows. The woman managed to rip his shirt, so he hunted through the closet for a new one. His closet hadn't been cleaned out in months, so he was afraid he would find Narnia if he looked too hard.

Throwing the black t-shirt with the club's logo, a ruby red apple with a bite taken out of it, over his head, he plopped down into his office chair and flipped through his appointment list. He groaned as he recognized the next private session's name. The woman was more than a frequent, she was here four out of five days a week. And _Queen of England_ was she irritating. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it even more of a mess. He had ten minutes until she arrived, and he knew he was going to spend those ten minutes hating his life and thinking about all the things he wished he could be doing.

He shook his head, he knew that he loved his job. Hell, it was more entertaining than his little brother's, that's for sure. And he had grown to love the people working here._ Forbidden Fruit_ was located inside the basement of an old apartment building. All of the employees, or _Bad Apples_, lived on site. Arthur himself vacated the penthouse on the top floor. There was also a gift shop, selling almost every sex toy and video possible, in the building. This place was a gold mine, and he owned it all.

He just didn't like the customers. They were all married whores, or single whores who either hated their spouses or are too ashamed to admit they have bizarre sexual needs. So they all come here.

They were all too easy. They gave him everything on a silver platter. He wanted, no _needed_ a challenge. Someone who he could break to bow to his will. None of these girls were giving him the thrill he desired. He knew he was missing that certain _spark_ in his life, but he would never admit it out loud. He was never one for that sappy shit people call true love. It just wasn't his style.

He glanced at the digital clock on his computer screen, it had already been seven minutes.

"_Bloody hell_..." He thumped his head against the desk in fustration. _'Guess I better go get the room ready.'_ He stood from his chair and walked out of his office, grumbling how he wished the night would end quickly under his breath.

**XXXXXXX**

Madeline looked at the building in front of her quizically, if she was correct, this would be her target location. Although, she could say that it wasn't what she was expecting. She stared at the bright red apple, with a chunk missing, presumably from a bite, above solid black double doors. No windows.

The_ King Tut_ piece was in _here_? She shrugged, brushing off the thought. She was in another country, she just wasn't used to this kind of thing. Walking up to the doors, she pulled one open and stepped inside. The door closed quietly behind her as she stood, stupified. The walls were painted a deep red, the couches a bright gold lining the outside walls, and dead centered was a desk, above was the same apple as outside. The desk was bordered by two doors. One labeled _Gift Shop_, and the other _Tree Branches_. Her attention was brought back to the desk as the woman sitting behind it cleared her throat. She had long, wavy brown hair and glowing green eyes, her hair pinned back by a beautiful orange flower.

"May I help you, ma'am?"

Madeline shifted over to the desk nervously, running her fingers through her hair. She really needed to break that nervous habit.

"Hi, um... I'm here for an appointment with Mr. Kirkland?"

The girl clicked away on her computer, "You made it just in time. make your way through the door and enjoy your stay at_ Forbidden Fruit_." The woman smiled and gestured towards the door marked _Tree Branches_.

"Forbidden what?" before Madeline's question could be answered she felt a push behind her and she was coaxed into going towards the door, she cast a look behind her to see a tall man with spiked caramel hair pushing her. She didn't register what was happening fast enough for her to react. The next thing she new she was in a dark hallway and the man was putting a blindfold over her eyes. She was then carried to another room. Her arms pulled above her, she heard a distinct click and her arms held in place above her. She felt the man leave and shut the door behind him.

'_...what just happened?'_ She tried to pull her arms down. _'Are these...handcuffs?'_ She heard the metal of the cuffs hitting against eachother._ 'Oh mon dieu, what have I gotten myself into?'_ She began to slowly drift into panic. Until she heard the door open again.

She held her breath, waiting for the worst. There was a slight pause, then the door clicked shut. She had a feeling she wasn't alone in the room anymore, she bit her lip to stop it from quivering.

"Well... This certainly wasn't what I was expecting."

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><p><em>Uggghhhh I'm so glad I could get this out of my system, I thought I was going to burst if I didn't write this soon.<em>

_By the way, here's the people I didn't name:_

_Brother-America_

_Father-France_

_Desk Receptionist-Hungary_

_Bouncer-Netherlands_

_Review and I shall update._


	2. Mysterious Encounter

_The only thing I can say is… WHOA! I got such great feedback for the first chapter of this in a single day, that I knew I had to update as soon as possible. I fucking love you guys… I would make a happy crying face but Fanfiction doesn't let you type symbols. Bitches._

_Cacow: I must admit, you made my day. Do it again! :D_

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><p><strong>Forbidden Fruit<strong>

**Chapter 2: **Mysterious Encounter

Arthur closed the door behind him as he entered the private room, staring in shock and utter confusion at the scene before him. This wasn't the woman he was supposed to be treating, in fact, she was the complete opposite. He expected to see the fat cow ready and willing, not… Not _this_.

What he saw before him was a young girl, hanging from the chain connected to the ceiling by handcuffs. She had a black cloth over her eyes, rendering her vision useless. She wore a black leather jacket that was cropped short at the bottom, and a white dress patterned with red roses that he assumed went to her knees. But since she was an inch or two too short, she was stretching; standing on her tip toes, making the dress creep up her thighs.

His line of vision traveled down lower to her legs. _'Great Scott those are amazing legs, and are those… Combat Boots?'_ His interest level peeked at her sense of attire.

"W-who's there…?"

Arthur was snapped back to reality when she spoke, her voice was quiet and shaky. He couldn't blame her, she was in an unknown place, chained and blindfolded, with a complete stranger in the room with her. He'd just have to make her more comfortable.

He walked further into the room until he was about two feet away from her, now that he got a closer look he could see a curl that stood prominent in the front, much unlike her straight, honey blonde hair cut shoulder length. _'How cute…'_ Arthur wanted to reach out and tug it, but resisted the urge.

"There's no need to be afraid love, I'm not going to hurt you."

Some tension visibly left her body at his soothing words; he smiled lightly and walked in a full circle around her, eyes scanning every inch of her body until he was back in front of her. Since she was here, he might as well have a little fun.

"So, love. Do you mind telling me, _how_ exactly you came to be here?"

She hesitated before answering, "A m-meeting."

He could tell by the lack of accent in her speaking meant that she was American. "What kind of meeting?"

"Retrieval."

"Retrieval of what?"

"An artifact."

"Love, please stop being so vague with your answers, you're making me want to punish you."

She flinched when he spoke the word _punish_, obviously getting the wrong idea. We wished that he could say what he really meant, which involved the leather whip currently lying on the table across from them, but he didn't want to freak her out. That would be bad.

"…I had a meeting with a Mr. Kirkland in order to get an artifact to take back to America for the museum I work for."

Arthur instantly connected her statement with something his little brother had been blabbing about for the past week about someone coming to get that dusty old something-or-whatever he kept in his attic. Well, she got the other Kirkland instead.

He decided to continue with his games other than turn her loose and hand her over to Peter. Crossing his arms over his chest, he asked another question.

"And do you know where you are at this very moment?"

She bit her lip in a worried fashion, "I'm guessing I'm not where I should be?"

He let out a soft laugh as he walked over to the table across from them, glancing at all the toys. From the rubber ball gag, vibrating egg, bottle of lube, and the spreading bar. He looked at all of them until his eyes landed on the black, slim leather crop, like the ones you would see in horse training stables. Picking it up from the handle end, he ran his other hand across it as he walked back to stand in front of her once again.

"You could be right about that, love. But, while you're here, why don't we make the best out of your visit?"

Her reply was cut short when she let out a sharp gasp, as Arthur dragged the whip end up her leg, starting at her outer middle calf, and dragging it up to a couple inches above her knee.

She drew her leg up, bending at the knee, and leaned in the opposite direction, a light blush appearing across her cheeks. Knowing the shy reaction was normal for some; he decided to let it go. He continued his teasing by letting the crop slide as he walked in a half circle to stand behind her. The crop going from her knee, to the back of her thigh, and over the dress material to rest on her ass.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Just relax, love. I won't harm you, I give you my word."

She shivered lightly as his hot breath ghosted over her ear, sending tingles down her spine. Although, she did relax again after he spoke, seeing this as his okay to continue, he took a step back and raised his arm, bringing the crop down clean across her backside.

She let out a startled yelp and stumbled forward awkwardly, her face beet red. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face; her reactions were just too cute. It really turned him on, his pants becoming a bit uncomfortable.

He reached out to grab her by the hips and pull her back to stand straight, he felt sparks jolt through his fingers as he touched her, but brushed it off for excitement.

"Sit still or you'll get another one."

She twitched and straightened her back, her lips pressed together to form a thin line. Hands still on her sides, Arthur slid his hands across her stomach to wrap his arms around her waist. Making his chest flush with her black, her body heat seeped through the layers of clothing and was absorbed by his body.

He placed his chin in the crook of her neck and pressed his lips against the soft skin just under her ear, lightly nipping the flesh with his teeth.

"Spread your legs for me, love."

He felt her tense again at his words, though she didn't move. He pulled her against his tighter and wedged a foot between hers.

"It'd be wise to follow my orders."

Bending her head down, she spread her legs heavily as if there were lead weights tied to her ankles, her blush becoming impossibly red. Arthur grinned against her neck and slid a hand down to her thigh and grabbed the hem of her dress. Pushing it up, he skated his fingers across the inside of her thigh, inching closer and closer to her core. He was a bit surprised; he had never gotten this intimate with a customer before, not to say he wasn't enjoying himself. As his thumb skimmed across the edge of her, he assumed lace, panties, she went rigid. Straightening her back, her breathing stopped and the color began to drain from her face.

Then realization hit him like a train.

She was a virgin.

He his hand froze as he stared in shock at the door in front of him, the fact seeping into the back recesses of his mind. That's why she was reacting so shyly, why she seemed frightened by him, he could tell by just how she acted when he did touched her.

His initial thought was how lucky he had been, scoring such a catch as this. But as he churned the thought around in his head, he began to regret doing this.

He wasn't completely heartless. He knew that your first time was supposed to be special, with someone you care for. Not someone who took advantage of your defenseless situation, and not someone you didn't even know.

Painfully, he decided to end this. Slipping his hand out from under her dress, he released his grip on her waist and stepped back away from her, the loss of heat immediately getting to him. Returning to his place in front of her, he reached up to take hold of her hands and pulled them up and took the chain connecting the handcuffs off of the hook hanging from the ceiling, pulling them down in front of her. He then fished the key out of his pocket and placed it in the palm of her hand, closing them.

He glanced at her face once more, wishing that the blindfold was gone so that he could see her eyes. Arthur leaned forward and kissed her cheek lightly, releasing her hands and turning to stride out of the door and down the hall into his own office before he had any second thoughts about leaving her.

**XXXXXXX**

Maddie lifted her cuffed hands to her face and pushed the blindfold up and over her eye to peek at her surroundings, seeing that she was alone. Her arms were tingling with pins and needles as the blood began rushing through her veins. Her gaze travelling to her cuffed wrists, she opened her hand to see a small silver key, remembering that the man had put it there before he… Left?

She didn't know what to think, her mind was nothing but an abyss of blank fuzz. Snapping back to reality with a shake of her head, she took the key and unlocked the cuffs, the metal restrainers falling to the cement floor below. She rubbed her wrists carefully, seeing angry red marks from where the cuffs bit into her delicate skin.

Pulling the blindfold off fully, she looked around the room again and looked at the table against the far wall, immediately blushing from what was sitting on it. Her gaze shot to the floor embarrassingly and automatically landed on the leather whip, her cheeks harbored a brand new flush as her legs started to tingle with remembrance.

Shaking her head again, she looked toward the door and slowly walked towards it, reaching a hesitant hand out towards the knob. Turning it, she cracked the door open to peek into the hallway, no one in sight. Deciding that this was her chance, she swung the door open and sprinted down the hall to the door that she hoped would lead to an exit. Swinging the next door open, she threw a quick glance to the right and saw a wall, then to the left and saw the desk receptionist from before, along with a tall man she remembered show up behind her and take her to the room she just came out of.

Her face paled drastically as he turned his head and made eye contact with her, his face showing no change in emotion as he stared at her. She squeaked and made a dead run for the front door, throwing it open and flying onto the sidewalk at speed she didn't even know existed in her body. She finally stopped running after she realized there were people around her and started speed walking, her mind travelling a mile a minute.

Before she knew it, she was back safely in her hotel room, snug in her maple leaf pajamas and tucked into bed, staring at the ceiling in utter disbelief of what just happened to her.

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><p><em>I hope this was enough to tide you lovelies over for the next few days. This is seriously the fastest I've ever updated anything.<em>

_Also, there's a poll on my profile page, just to let you know. I'm just trying to see if people actually do them._

_More reviews equals faster updates~~~_


	3. Can't Be a Coincidence

_You guys ask me to update, and I shall update. I'm already having tons of fun with this story!_

_Shout outs:_

_Maige: I literally screamed when I saw that YOU reviewed on my story. I've read almost all of your MapleTea stories, and they're what made me begin to like this pairing. I'm glad you're enjoying this story, it means a lot to me!_

_Cacow: Trust me, you did it again!_

_Kai Kirkland: I'm definitely going to take your opinion into consideration; I've noticed that people that update every day don't get as many views. Silly me!_

_Enjoy the new chapter lovelies!_

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><p><strong>Forbidden Fruit<strong>

**Chapter three: **Can't Be a Coincidence

Madeline stared at her reflection in the hotel room's bathroom mirror, seeing painfully obvious dark circles under her violet eyes. She had fallen asleep with her contact lens still on, and had to wear her glasses today. She didn't get a lick of sleep the night before, her head swimming with visions of what took place not even twelve hours ago.

She had almost lost her innocence.

To a complete stranger.

Just as the thought drifted into her mind, she remembered his touch. His hands on her set her skin on fire. And his voice, it was like silk wrapping around her.

'_No! Stop thinking about it!'_

She dragged her hands over her face, groaning and muttering total nonsense under her breath. Shaking her head to try and free her mind from getting dirty thoughts, she walked over to stand at the foot of the bed.

"It didn't happen!" She said out loud to herself, putting her fists on her hips triumphantly as if she had just climbed Mt. Everest.

If it were real, the little red devil would've appeared at that exact moment to lean over and whisper in her ear, _"But it did."_

She groaned in defeat and flopped on the bed, smushing her face in the pillow. Madeline lied there silently for a few minutes, the memories still fresh in her mind. He had done things that she had never thought about before.

'_He actually….. Spanked me.'_

The devil appeared again. _"You liked it."_

She sighed and glanced out of the corner of her eye to the bedside digital clock. It read 6:30 pm. Her plane back to America was scheduled to leave in two and a half hours. Sighing, she crawled off the bed and grabbed the handle of her suitcase, walking out of her room, taking the elevator, and signing out at the front desk.

Walking out the main doors, she shivered and pulled the collar of her coat higher around her chin. Later last night, a thin sheet of snow had coated the ground, gradually covering everything in sight. Though, as the morning came, the snow fall grew more heavily, the snow making almost impossible to see twenty feet in front of you.

Ignoring the weather as she waded through the snow, she caught a taxi and requested the London National Airport.

**XXXXXXX**

_-Hour time lapse—_

"Oh my god, what a surprise! You came to pick me up without telling me ahead of time! You're such a good friend." The pseudo-albino framed his face with his hands, his eyebrows raised in fake surprise as he looked to his long-time boss and best friend.

"Oh shut up you git. You _told_ me to come get you." Arthur smirked and watched as Gilbert puffed out his chest and showed his lady-killer grin. That stupid little chick popped out from underneath his jacket and nestled itself on top of his silver hair.

Gilbert slung his bag over his shoulder and strode past the shorter man to lead the way to the Baggage Reclaim. "You can at least pretend to be excited to see me. I've been gone for forever!"

"… It was only a week."

"And I'm sure in that week your income has dropped to an all-time low, since your main source of entertainment was gone!"

"Oh quit being so full yourself, you bloody nitwit! It was actually quite peaceful without you around. I rather enjoyed it."

Gilbert turned to him with a mock hurt expression, "Are you saying you would be better off without the awesome me by your side?"

"That's precisely what I was saying."

"I don't believe you."

Arthur scoffed in return and became quiet, watching the crowd as they stood in wait at the Baggage Claim.

After a few silent moments, Gilbert stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

"_Scheiße_, I'm starving. Airplanes give you absolutely nothing."

He turned to Arthur, "Dude, go get me something from the food court."

Arthur scowled, "Go get it yourself, you useless twat."

He pouted, "But I'm waiting for my bags…."

Glancing at the crimson eyed man, he growled in defeat. "_Fine_, I'll go get your fucking food."

Walking off without hearing his reply, Arthur stalked off angrily in a bee line to the food court, pushing through the confused and lost people.

Not paying attention to where he was going, he felt something collide with his chest. Looking down, down her saw a girl on the floor, rubbing her nose.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was going! Here let me help you." He extended his hand out to her.

She took his offered hand, and he pulled her up off the floor. For some reason, she didn't look directly at him; instead she smiled shyly and fixed her glasses.

"Thank you, sir. And it was my fault, I wasn't paying attention. Sorry!" She then stepped around him, and continued on her way.

Arthur also began walking again, only to stop dead in his tracks. _'Wait a tick…'_ His eyes widened, and he looked down at his hand. Looking back up, he spun on his heel and searched frantically until he spotted her.

He began walking at a fast pace in the opposite direction from the food court. He _had_ to see if he was right. He_ had_ to know if it was really her.

"Hey…. Where's my food?" Gilbert stood in his path with his bags, looking confused.

Arthur pulled a twenty out of his coat pocket and slammed it against his chest, never stopping. "Get a cab, I'll catch up later."

He left an even more confused Gilbert in his wake as he drew closer to her. He froze when she stopped and turned, sitting down in the waiting area next to the departure gate. He jumped behind a pillar as she looked in his direction.

He peeked around the edge, and his heart skipped a beat. It _was_ her. The girl who stumbled into his club by mistake. The girl who he let go.

The girl who stole his heart.

He needed to talk to her, get to know her…. Get in her pants. _'What the fuck brain?'_

He looked at her again, she had pulled out her cellphone, too engrossed in it to notice anything. Now was his chance. He ducked behind the people passing by, sneaking his way around.

'_Wait, why am I hiding? She was bloody blindfolded last night!'_

Straightening up, he walked in a dignified fashion to walk in front of her to take a seat on the row of chairs parallel with her back. He would sit in wait until she was done with her phone call to make his move.

**XXXXXXX**

"_Allo?"_

"Papa, it's me."

"_Ah! Mon cherie, it is a joyful surprise to hear from you!"_

Madeline, sighed inwardly, "Papa, you texted me telling me to call you ten minutes ago."

"_Well, a man can dream, non?"_

She laughed lightly; her father's heavy French accent always seemed to calm her somehow, ever since she was a little girl.

"_So, mon chou, tell me. How was the meeting with Monsieur Kirkland? I hope it was to your liking?"_

She visibly paled, she didn't know he would bring it up so early in their conversation. She hadn't come up with a good enough excuse yet as to how she failed doing her job. She could just surrender and tell him the truth, about the stranger and her…..predicament. Although, she knew that would probably freak him out. She could even lose her job. Realizing that she was running out of time, she chose the easy way out.

"Oh. You see, um…. I uh… Didn't get it,"

"…_Pardon?"_

She dropped her chin, biting her nail. "I didn't get to see Monsieur Kirkland, Papa."

"_Porquoi?"_ Seems like he wasn't just going to take _'Because…'_ as an acceptable answer.

"I went to his house but, seems he's out of town temporarily." She blatantly lied, she didn't even make it to his house, nor did she try after what happened. She held her breath as there was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"_You are telling me that you didn't get the Anubis Statue?"_

Fear began to tie a knot in her stomach. "No, I didn't get it."

This is something that her brother would do, not her. She had screwed up, but she didn't want to lose her job.

"_That piece was one of the main attractions for the King Tut exhibit opening next week…"_

'_Oh no, here it comes.'_ She began shifting in her seat, the even longer pause on the other side making her anxious.

"_This isn't good, Madeline."_

"P-papa?"

After yet another pause, her father's voice came out a little on the bitter side. _"We'll discuss this minor slip up of yours when you get back home."_ She heard the click signaling the severed connection and flinched.

'_Mon dieu, I'm so dead.'_ She held her face in her hands, trying to even her breathing. She never got in trouble. Ever. But now she was, and it was actually her fault.

A slightly familiar jingle came through the overhead speakers as a woman spoke.

"_Excuse me, welcomed customers of London Air Travel. Due to harsh weather conditions, flights 272, 291, and 346 have been delayed. We apologize for the inconvenience."_

Glancing down to the ticket resting in her lap, she inhaled sharply and threaded her fingers through her hair. _Flight 291_. Her gaze shot up to the monitor on the wall directly across from the gate departure's sitting area.

_Flight 291, Washington, DELAYED 2-3 Hrs._

She stared in utter disbelief at the word _'Delayed'_ in bright red. _'Could this day really get any worse?'_ She groaned in defeat audibly, shaking her head in her hands.

"I'm guessing your flight was one of those they mentioned."

Madeline jumped in surprised at the voice coming behind her. She whipped her head to the left to see a man looking at her with a small smile on his face. The first thing she noticed was his eyes. They had to be the greenest eyes she had ever seen, the color closely resembling the purest of emeralds. She felt as if they were practically seeing inside of her body, into her soul.

Her line of sight crept up to his eyebrows. They were definitely….. Larger, than she was used to seeing. Though, for some reason she found them suitable for him. The next thing she noticed was his disheveled mop of blonde hair, it was sticking up somewhat at odd places, but it was cute.

She was snapped back to reality when he cleared his throat. "Oh! Um, yeah… My flight was delayed."

"Where to?"

"Back to America." She smiled gently and turned her body more to face him, he was on the row of chairs that was against the back of hers. His arm was propped on the back of the chair next to her, his chin resting on his hand.

Something about with man seemed, familiar about him. She couldn't put her finger on it. She had a feeling that they had met before. Although, she was sure that if they had met before, she would've remembered someone who was as handsome as him.

His eyes softened, "I'm sorry to hear that. It must tick you off to have to sit here for another two hours."

She let out a snort, looking out of the plate glass windows lining the wall to see snow falling quickly as planes sat still on the runways. "Yeah, I guess you could say that…"

His eyebrows drew together in confusion, "Am I mistaken?"

She smiled weakly and shook her head, waving a hand at him. "No, no! It's just that, I sort find it relieving. I wasn't exactly in a big rush to get home only to get scolded." She bit the inside of her cheek as her father's words ran through her mind. Her eyes slid shut and she rubbed her temples, trying to soothe the oncoming headache.

He chuckled lightly, "Well then, do you mind if I keep you company for a while?"

Madeline looked up at him with questioning violet eyes. Looking into his green ones, she didn't see anything that should make her cautious around the stranger. And before he had even asked to stay, she felt as though she could trust him with almost anything. An absolute stranger.

"I don't see why not, I'd appreciate it if you kept me company…" She raised her eyebrows in a silent question, her sentence trailing off.

He took the hand out from under his chin and offered it to her, "Arthur."

She placed her hand in his for a shake, but gasped softly as he wrapped his fingers under hers and drew her hand up to place a light kiss on her knuckles. Delicious electricity coursed through her hand and up her arm from the contact. Her eyes glazed over in contempt as he ran his calloused thumb back and forth over her knuckles.

"And your name?"

"M-my name is Madeline." Her voice came out a little high pitched because of his current contact, not used to the feeling at all.

"So, Madeline-"He saying her name almost made her choke on air, his British accent falling unfamiliarly on her hearing. "-may I ask why you're reluctant to return home?"

The mention of her reluctance abruptly pulled her out of her bubbly feeling and reminded her of how much she had screwed up. Her face dropped and she scrubbed a shaky hand across her face.

Seeing that he was the cause of her sudden discomfort, he switched tactics. "Well, I can tell you this, there's a mini-bar in the food court."

She quickly picked up on his train of thought. Though she preferred not to, she desperately needed to forget about what was going to happen to her when she saw her father in person.

"… A drink sounds lovely."

**XXXXXXX**

Three hours later, Arthur had learned about the newest exhibits in America's most popular museum, found out how many different types of maple syrup there were possible, and had heard the Canadian National Anthem. Twice.

About an hour ago, the woman came over the intercom again and stated that the flights to America had been permanently cancelled until the weather cleared, but the girl beside him was far to gone to understand any of it.

Arthur watched in mild amusement as she swayed slightly on her bar stool, her face flush with heat. She had shed her leather jacket a while ago, her tank top giving Arthur a pleasant view of her curves.

"Ya know what? None of thiz, iz even any…any of my fault! Bechauze if my stiiiiuuuupid buttface broffer didn't spaz out and break his poor pitiful anchle, I wouldn't be hur." Her words were slurred from the intake of alcohol, she slung back the shot of tequila placed in front of her and Arthur took the shot glass out of her hand, refilling it with the slowly dwindling bottle that had been given to him after the bartender had had enough of her babbling.

He now realized that she couldn't hold her liquor, at all. He himself had drunk about as many shot as she did, yet he barely felt buzzed. He took this to his advantage to finally get a real good look at her.

He decided to start at the top and make his way down. The hair was definitely the same, a golden blonde, the curl sticking out in the front; he still wanted to touch it but refrained from doing so. With the blindfold now gone, he had the chance to finally see her eyes. A beautiful violet hue incased in thick, blonde eyelashes. All behind wire-rimmed glasses. The glasses were an adorable touch, he had to admit. The same soft, petal pink lips that gave him dirty thoughts. He had already stolen glances to her chest and arms, so he decided to move on. Unfortunately, her amazing legs were hidden underneath baggy blue jeans, but he could survive. And it seemed that instead of rocking combat boots, she attired red converse instead.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a hand lay itself flat on top of his thigh. His eyes shot up from the floor to look straight into hers, she was staring at him as if she was trying to concentrate.

"Are ya even listenin' to me?"

Arthur nodded and looked to the side, "Of course I am, love."

His eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. He had tried his hardest not to use the given pet name as he could give himself away. He shot a glance over to her only to see her still staring at him. _'I'm caught.' _The thought ran through his mind like a road runner.

He turned back to her to confess, but was shocked still as he felt lips crash against his. He felt her hands on his thighs as she got down from her bar stool to lean against him, putting more force into the kiss. He mentally shook his mind free of surprise and pushed back, deepening the lip lock. He swiped his tongue against her bottom lip and snaked it into her mouth when she parted her lips, tasting the alcohol on her tongue. His hands found their way onto her hips and he pulled her closer to stand flush against him.

When she came up panting for much needed air, he kissed a line across her jaw to nibble on a soft spot behind her ear. He heard her soft mewls of approval as he bit her earlobe gently, completely blocking out the fact that they were in public.

Though, he stopped abruptly when he felt her full weight fall against him, pulling back to stop himself from falling off of the stool. He looked down in his arms to see that Madeline was out cold. He glanced around, dumbfounded, to see that no one was looking. He took hold of her shoulders and lifted her up so he could stand, and caught her before she collapsed onto the floor. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled out his wallet and left some money on the bar for their drinks, picked her up bridal style, and then carried her out towards the main doors. All the while ignoring the awkward and suspicious stares he received the entire walk.

**XXXXXXX**

Madeline grunted quietly from the harsh light coming through her closed eyelids. She wouldn't dare open her eyes, her head felt as if it was going to combust. Her body ached as well. It was easy to say she felt like complete garbage, and she had absolutely no idea what the reason could be. She was just about to pry her eyes open, when she heard voices around her.

"Who is she?" The voice came from her left, male. Though she thought she heard a strange accent, maybe Spanish.

"How the hell should I know? I didn't bring her in." Another male, this time from her right. He also had an accent, German?

"…Should we wake her up?" Yet another male, on her right as well. She couldn't place his accent though; it wasn't as recognizable as the others.

"Nah, you know what we should do." It was the German speaking. "We should take advantage of her."

Madeline's eyes sprang open and her back shot off the bed, breathing heavily as her gaze shifted between the three men.

"That wasn't exactly a nice way to wake her up, Gil." She looked at the man to her left with wavy, dark brown hair and olive skin. Presumably the source of the Spanish accent. He looked to the other with a slightly annoyed frown.

Her eyes trained on the one acknowledged as "Gil" as he let out an obnoxious bark of laughter. Her line of sight went to the yellow puffball nestled on his head.

'…_Is that a chicken?' _

"I know, but it obviously worked." A grin split his face and she scooted back further on the bed, propping herself up against the headboard.

All four pairs of eyes diverted to see the door swing open and reveal a displeased blonde Brit who stared at the three other men with sheer anger.

"Yo!" The German greeted him.

Arthur scoffed, "Don't '_yo_' me, imbecile. Get the hell out. All of you." He stepped inside of the room and to the side, waiting a bit impatiently.

Gilbert pouted and trudged out the door, the Spaniard and unknown race following quickly. Arthur kicked the door shut again and turned to look at Madeline, who was still pressed against the headboard, confused about what had just happened.

"Don't mind them, they're completely harmless." He walked closer to the bed and handed her the bottle of water he had been holding. Uncertain, she reached out to take it, and then accepted the bottle of Tylenol he offered happily, anything to stop the pounding and bells ringing in her head. After swallowing the pills, she adverted her gaze to look around, what she assumed was the master bedroom, since it was bigger than hers back home.

"U-um…A-Arthur…"

He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, facing her direction. "Yes, love?"

"Where am I?"

"Oh, you're in my home. I couldn't think of any other place to take you last night."

'_Last night… Oh god, what happened last night?_' Madeline honestly couldn't remember a single thing from the night before. She quickly looked down to see that all of her clothes were still in place. She let out a safe sigh of relief, searching her mind for anything else.

Something seemed to click into place as she searched her memory for answers. Looking at the bed with her brows drawn together, she asked; "Wait…. Arthur, what did you say?"

He looked at her with a questioning glance, "You're at my house?"

She shook her head, "No, no. Before that."

"…Yes, love?"

Realization hit her hard, knocking the air out of her lungs. She shrank back to the opposite side of the bed, almost falling off in the process. Her eyes wide in shock as she stared at Arthur.

"Y-you… You're-the night before! When I-"She babbled incoherently, and then covered her mouth as she pointed at him.

Arthur's eyebrows shot up in amusement as he stood from the bed, crossing his arms over his chest, sending off a dominating aura.

"Welcome back to Forbidden Fruit, Madeline."

* * *

><p><em>And the third chapter is up! Finally, I thought it'd be another week before I even got to write this. But I thought wrong!<em>

_Yes, I made Prussia his best friend because Prussia is awesome. And I will leave it at that._

_Review! Don't make me get my whip out._


	4. And You Thought I Was Joking

_Alright, let me just start off with… I freaking love you guys._

_So I started writing this chapter on my phone late last night, I get inspiration at the weirdest of times. Oh well, what are you to do?_

* * *

><p><strong>Forbidden Fruit<strong>

**Chapter Four:** And You Thought I Was Joking

"I beg your pardon?"

Arthur gave her an incredulous look, "Well, you were here on a previous occasion, I'm pretty sure I don't need to remind you of what happened. So I just gave you the proper greeting." He watched as the befuzzled girl before him chewed on her bottom lip in nervous anticipation, her eyes darting around the room.

"N-no, I'm afraid you're mistaken. You see, giving me a greeting such as that would mean that I would be here for an extended amount of time." Madeline scooted off of the bed to stand on the cold wooden floor, searching for her belongings. She halted when she came to notice a broad clothed chest was standing in her view.

"Oh, but you are." Snapping her violet gaze up to meet his piercing green, she saw that he gestured to the window with w tilt of his head. She looked to it and gasped. It wasn't the sun's harsh light that had woken her up earlier; it was the overpowering pure white that covered the outdoor world.

Racing to the window, she pressed her hands to the glass and looked out to the buildings and streets completely coated in snow. It was building up on rooftops, threatening to cave in at any moment. Not to mention only the top halves of vehicles were visible. The streets and sidewalks were also hidden underneath the snow. You would almost call it a Winter Wonderland if it weren't for the lack of civilians giving an eerie look to things.

She jumped again as she felt a presence behind her; it was sort of a soothing presence, in a strange way.

"There's no getting in or out of something like that, love." He had somewhat of a mocking grin as he sidestepped to lean against the wall beside the window.

"What about my things?"

Arthur shrugged, "I'd assume they're all back at the airport."

She was silent for a few moments, never looking from the window and thinking about her current situation. "So you're saying I'm stuck here until the snow melts?"

He nodded, his smile never leaving his face.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "And how long do you say that will take?"

He leaned forward to look out to the other side of the glass as well, making her scoot back a few inches because of his close proximity. He acted to not notice the move, but found it completely adorable that she was still wary of him on the inside.

"Judging from the amount, and the fact that there's two more storms scheduled for this week. I'd say… Two or three weeks."

"Three weeks? I don't have three weeks! I have to get home!" She began to look around the room again in search of her bag, only to realize she was searching in vain since all of her belongings were back at the airport.

Arthur stood in his place and watched her as she paced back and forth, constantly biting her bottom lip. He assumed that had to be a bad habit of hers.

After a tyranny of heavy sighs and stomping, she sat on the edge of the bed, head in her hands and body visibly shaking. Being the kind soul that he is, Arthur advanced to the bed to sit next to her and gently put his hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles.

"What am I going to do?" He could hear the tears threatening to leak from her eyes just by the sound of her voice.

He knew he was taking advantage of her situation only for his personal gain by saying this, but he really didn't want to have it any other way. He wasn't ready to have this girl leave his life just yet. There was something about her that he needed to figure out, what made her so special compared to all of the other ones.

"Isn't it obvious? You're going to stay here with me."

She picked her head up to make eye contact, "W-what are you saying?"

Arthur put his hands behind him on the bed, leaning back and looking at the ceiling fan. "I'm saying that you could stay here with me until the snow melts. Think of it as a way of me trying to apologize for things that have happened recently."

"By all the things you mean what happened in that dungeon the day before yesterday."

'Well, seems she got right to the point.' Arthur sat up straight and scratched the back of his head,  
>"First of all, it wasn't a dungeon. And about that…"<p>

He stood from the bed and moved to stand directly in front of her he reached out and grabbed a hold onto her chin faster than she could react. He leaned down until his face was mere inches away from hers, his eyes now dark and smoldering and his breath ghosting over her lips.

"I regret nothing. And neither do you, love."

Madeline's eyes drifted lower to his lips, which were getting closer to hers with every passing second. Something began to blossom in her chest, butterflies going wild in her stomach. "What makes you say that?"

He smirked, "Because you wouldn't be so responsive to me. Seems you're just dying to be taken."

Her face lit up like a tomato as she ripped her face from his grasp and rolled to the foot of the bed, darting off and running through the door to the next closest one she could find, slamming it shut behind her and locking it.

Arthur was left to stand there wondering what the hell just happened. One moment he was there about to do naughty things to the girl of his dreams, and then he was staring at an empty space which she had previously filled.

He was about to question as to why she was so responsive but shut down every time but remembered the fact that had ended everything two days ago. She was innocent. Meaning he couldn't force her to do anything, since it wouldn't be right.

He let out a muffled groan and pushed his hair back. This was going to be harder than he thought.

**XXXXXXX**

It had been three hours since Madeline had locked herself in the spare room. Well, she assumed it was a spare room, seeing as it was completely empty, except for a few boxes here and there. Her time spent in here alone gave her time to think about what was going on. She was stuck in London with no means of leaving for a few weeks. That wouldn't have been that much of a deal if it weren't for her missing absolutely everything she came with except for the clothes on her back. And the fact that the person that was helping her happened to be the very man she was trying to get away from.

She sunk to the floor and sat Indian-style while she thought harder. She needed to talk to him, but didn't want to. She needed to get to know him if she was going to be staying with him, but didn't want to. She also needed to find out exactly what kind of establishment he associates himself with. But again, didn't want to.

Oh how she wished she were back in her own home, wrapped up in blanket and sitting in front of her television to watch the newest hockey game and eating the biggest stack of pancakes she could make. The thought of food made her stomach gurgled. She looked down at the body part that made the offending noise. She still had a pounding headache from the alcohol last night, but that didn't stop her from having an empty stomach.

'_Getting food would mean having to go… Out there.'_ She thought as she stared at the door behind her. He hadn't come barging in after her when she darted from the room, nor had she heard a sound from the other side of the door the entire time. _'Maybe he left?'_

Only one way to find out. Standing, she tiptoed towards the door and turned the knob, peaking outside. The sun had begun to set, sending an orange glow about the loft. She never got a chance to look around, so she took it.

He had a nice taste in furniture; everything was colored in deep browns, gold's, and reds. An Oriental rug covered the living room floor, where a white couch stood prominent. Moving along, she saw antique paintings hanging from the walls and a dark mahogany coffee table. Finally, she found herself in the kitchen. She eyed the refrigerator with a newfound hunger. Making her way over to it, she opened it to see… absolutely nothing edible. She turned to the freezer, though it was the same.

_'Who lives with an empty fridge?'_ next she saw the pantry, nothing but canned soups and tea flavors. Soon enough, she was ripping open every cupboard until she found the jackpot.

The secret stash.

There were strawberry flavored Pop-tarts, Cheetos, Dr. Pepper, Honey Buns, and at least seven different types of alcohol. She grabbed the Cheetos and Pop-tarts, ripping open the bag and stuffing her face full of cheesy goodness. She knew in the recesses of her mind that it was rude to eat other people's food without permission, and she had been raised to be a good girl with manners. But this time was different.

She licked all of the orange off of her fingers and dove into Strawberry Pop-tart heaven.

**XXXXXXX**

Arthur groaned as he rode the elevator up to his suite. Today had been another, tiring, boring day at work. More women wanting to him to fulfill their sexual needs. He couldn't exactly focus on his work since the only thing he was thinking about was the girl up in his loft. Hopefully she hadn't run away while he was working.

The elevator dinged, stating he was on his appointed floor. Stepping out, he walked down the hall to the only door. Trying the doorknob, he noticed that it was still locked, meaning she hadn't left. A wave of relief washed over him as he unlocked the door and stepped into the dark foyer. The clock on the wall read 2:45 am.

The wave of relief soon changed to one of annoyance as he realized what she had done in his absence. The evidence being the empty Cheetos bag on the counter and the Pop-tarts box that was equally empty sitting next to it.

He heard the television going in the living room and walked in to find the stash thieving culprit curled up and asleep on the couch, fresh tear marks on her cheeks. His heart ached a little to see that she had been crying, he couldn't blame her though, this must all be very new to her.

Leaning over, he took the remote control out of her hand and turned the television off, losing the only light source in the room. Feeling around blindly, he snaked his hands underneath her sleeping form, picking her up bridal style. He seemed to be doing this a lot recently. As he began to walk to his bedroom, she mumbled and cuddled against his chest, making him almost lose his balance.

When he reached the room, he set her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. He made a mental note to talk to Eliza about borrowing some of her clothes until they got new ones for her. Leaning down, he swiped his thumb across her cheek, wiping the wet tear tracks off.

Just looking at her made his heart pick up its pace. This girl was a mystery, just waiting to be solved. He would crack this case, even if it took him forever, he'd wait. Arthur found himself looking forward to the morning when she'd be awake.

He bent down once more and kissed her forehead gingerly, since he couldn't resist the temptation. In return she moaned slightly and burrowed farther down into the covers. Another cute response, Arthur thought.

He left the room, cranking up the heater and lying down on the couch. That night, he dreamed of honey gold and deep violet.

* * *

><p><em>I assure you, things will start to heat up in future chapters. I will also be introducing a lot of people as well.<em>

_Review!_


	5. Settling In

_Let's just start this chapter off with good old talking:_

_Maige: I was blown away when you said "Horizontal monster mash". That's fucking epic._

_And I apologize ahead of time, but I've noticed that I'm writing these chapters to move kind of quickly. But let me say that you have NO IDEA what I have in store for this story. You've been warned._

* * *

><p><strong>Forbidden Fruit<strong>

**Chapter 5: **Settling in

When Madeline woke up, she was staring into red eyes, again. On instinct, her hand shot out to drive the heel of her hand into his nose, sending him flying back.

"Ow! Why did you do that?" The not-so-strange stranger was sitting on the foot of the bed and rubbing his offended nose, hurt in his eyes.

"I don't know who you are, but could you please stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Watching me sleep!"

"Oh. Right." He stood and offered his hand to her. "I'm Gilbert, and I'm awesome."

She looked at his hand, and then to his face, not taking it. "Where's Arthur?"

He frowned and took his hand back, "That old geezer is busy, so I was sent to show you around your temporary lodgings. Because I'm awesome."

Madeline looked at him warily, though she had been confined to this place for a while now, it would be nice to walk around. "…Okay."

"Sweet, Lizzie brought up some of her clothes for you to wear until we get you new ones. They're over there." He pointed to the chair in the corner to show a pile of clothes. Though he didn't budge.

She paused in making her way out of the bed, "Are you going to leave the room?"

He blinked and cleared his throat nervously, "Duh, because that would be the awesome thing to do."

She began to notice his overuse of the word 'Awesome' as he left the room and shut the door behind him. Walking over to the chair, she saw the black tank top and skinny jeans. Deciding that they would suffice, she threw them on over her underwear and searched around for her converse. When she stepped out of the room, she saw Gilbert already standing by the door.

She approached him and offered her hand, "Madeline."

His silver eyebrows shut up in slight amusement and he shook her hand, opening the door for her like a proper gentleman and leading her out to the hallway.

"So, where are we going?" She asked as she walked a step behind him into the elevator.

"Arthur told me to show you everything except where the actual business takes place, but I might as well since you're going to be here for a while. Plus, I love pissing him off."

She frowned, "What business?"

"You'll see." She could practically hear the smile in his voice, she felt almost sick. She watched as the dial went down from four to three, and so on and so forth. Then the noticed the 'B' below the one button, putting two and two together, she realized there was a basement. Gilbert cast a sideways glance to her and tried to break the silence.

"The first floor and the basement are the business floors, and the other three are apartments for the workers."

The more he spoke about 'business' the more nervous she got. "Do you work here?"

He nodded, "Four years, and it never gets old."

The elevator finally dinged and the metal doors opened, revealing a scene Madeline never wished to see again.

A red painted hallway with black doors lining the walls, all with apples bitten out of on the center of the doors. She didn't know whether to back up back into the elevator and going back upstairs or running out the front door again. And then she remembered the snow storm.

Gilbert turned to look at her when he noticed she wasn't following him, seeing her frozen in place. He walked back and got behind her to push her forward with his hands against her shoulders. Her feet dug into the carpet.

"Now is not the time to be getting cold feet birdie. I swear nothing is going to happen to you, cross my heart and hope to die." She would have believed him if not for the mocking tone in his voice.

"You just have to make it down the hallway and everything will be made clear. I promise!"

How he had managed to get her down the entire hallway just by pushing her, she'll never know, but she unconsciously grasped the door handle and stepped into the main lobby again. The girl with light brown hair was clicking away at the computer on the main desk when they walked in; she looked up from her work to smile at Madeline.

"Hello there, I'm Elizaveta. But you could call me Eliza, or Lizzie, which ever you prefer." Her smile was sincere as she offered a handshake. Madeline took it, trying to control her nerves in order to be polite.

"I'm Madeline." Her smile faltered when Elizaveta reached forward to hold onto her cheeks and turn her head, examining her face.

"I remember you from the other day, coming in here by accident. You are a very natural beauty, you know."

Madeline was at a loss for wards, not knowing how to deal with the situation. Gilbert thankfully stepped in and pulled her away, whispering in her ear; "Don't mind that, it's just something she does during a first meeting."

Eliza turned her gaze to Gilbert, "My husband said for me to tell you that it's your shift tonight for the gift shop."

Gilbert clicked his tongue and groaned, "But I worked it yesterday!"

"He told me that you would say that, and he told me to tell you that he doesn't care."

"Oh yeah? Then you tell him to come and say that to my face!"

At that moment, the door that they had come out of swung open and a man with glasses and dark brown hair, with a stray piece of hair sticking up at the part, walked by them. He was carrying a large cardboard box and was heading in the direction of the door labeled '_Gift Shop'_.

"I don't care, Gilbert." He didn't break his pace when he spoke, and with a serious tone for that matter. Madeline couldn't help but notice the beauty mark on his chin. It made him look sophisticated.

"How dare you?" Gilbert chased after him into the other room and Madeline was left with the other woman.

Eliza laughed lightly as she inched over to stand by her, "As you can see, there is never a dull moment around here."

"I take it that was your husband?"

She nodded, "Yes, Roderich. He's in charge of sales, since he's kind of a money hoarder. I'm just the secretary."

Madeline hummed in reply and was silent for a moment. "Exactly how many people work here?"

Eliza had to count on her fingers to keep up with whatever was going on in her head. "As of right now… twelve. You've already met the boss, Gilbert, Roddy, and me."

Madeline looked at her quizzically, "Boss?"

"Arthur, of course."

"He's the boss?" She was literally blown back by the little piece of information, is that why he lived on the top floor by himself?

Before Eliza could reply, the gift shop door flew open to reveal Gilbert.

"Birdie, get in here. We have to finish the tour."

Madeline scurried to follow after him, leaving Eliza to herself.

"I can see how Arthur became interested in her…" She went back to work at her desk with a slight smile.

**XXXXXXX**

"Welcome to the gift shop!" Gilbert had his arms spread out wide on either side of him as if he was Willie Wonka showing off his factory to the lucky golden ticket winners. Although, Madeline wouldn't call herself lucky. She ducked her head and shielded her eyes after glancing at the things placed against the walls and in the aisles.

Sex toys.

Almost every single one imaginable was in sight.

Her face became heated as she peaked between her fingers at the items. Gilbert came into her field of vision, a grin splitting his face.

"Have you ever seen something so amazing?"

When she didn't answer, he walked closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "If you're going to be staying here, you might as well try to get used to seeing things like this."

She shook her head vigorously. She didn't want to see any of it, it was too embarrassing. Though, she had to admit, her inner curiosity was starting to grow exponentially. After a moment's hesitation, she finally raised her head and stared the toys in the eye.

Her gaze from dildos, to vibrators, to penis shaped candies, gag gifts, handcuffs, whips, and to things she had never seen before. It was a little unsettling.

Roderich came from behind an aisle. "Gilbert, I told you to come help me in the store room… What is she doing in here? You know Arthur told us to not expose her to anything."

Madeline's hearing perked at that, he was ordering them to not show her everything? She found that a little rude. He didn't _own_ her, what gave him the right to start saying what she can and can't do? Her blood began to boil with anger.

She took fast steps towards Roderich, making him almost flinch at her unwarranted approach, "And what else, exactly, did he say?"

Roderich cleared his throat, "Arthur said not to let you be exposed to anything, not to let you venture too far, and not to get too deep into anything."

Her temper flared, "What am I? His property?" her anger increased another notch when he stayed silent. She crossed her arms and paced, thinking of a way to make him even angrier. She knew that it wasn't in her nature to be the type to take revenge, but she found it necessary since the man had been an emotional terrorist for the past three days.

An idea sparked in her mind and she rushed over to Gilbert, "How many people are taking the shift with you tonight?"

"Um… Nobody?"

**XXXXXXX**

Arthur threw his pen down on the desk. God. Damn. Paperwork. He was officially sick of it. He glanced at the clock on his computer screen. 2:30 am. It was about time he turned in.

Getting up from his desk, he walked out of his office but stopped in his tracks when he heard loud noises coming from the other side of the wall. Feeling curiosity getting the better of him, he went to go investigate. What he saw though, he definitely wasn't expecting to see.

Madeline was throwing packages of the new shipment of pink vibrators with detachable bunnies across the room to Gilbert who was stacking them on the shelves.

"The bloody hell is going on here?" Arthur practically became a ninja and intercepted the box before it made it to Gilbert. He glared at the man, who was holding his hands up in surrender, and then turned his gaze to her. Who threw his glare right back at him, surprising him.

"Is there a reason why you interrupted my work?" She spoke as a matter of factly. Arthur's eyebrows shot off of his forehead as he crossed his arms and challenged her, "_Your_ work?"

She stood from sitting on her knees and puffed out her chest, throwing back a challenge as she walked to stand not even a foot away from him. Arthur didn't know whether to be angered by her approach, or turned on.

"Yes, _my_ work."

"What, so you magically became an employee for me?"

"Yes."

Arthur never broke eye contact with her; he could feel her breath on his face. "…Fine."

She blinked, "Really?"

"Really?" Gilbert echoed her from behind them.

"Really."

"…Alright." Madeline turned to get back to work but was stopped when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door. Before she knew it she was dragged back into the elevator with Arthur and going back up to the top floor.

Her challenging air had died down and now she was back to her shy self. She could tell that Arthur was still fuming though, the air was entirely too tense. The walk to the room was even worse. Neither had spoken a word when they had entered the loft and the silence was finally broken when she had walked through the threshold into his bedroom and he cleared his throat behind her.

She turned and stood just out of reach of the door and he leaned forward to grip the doorknob. But, just before he closed the door, he crashed his lips against hers for a stolen kiss and left her standing speechless. He laughed to himself as he heard a sharp gasp on the other side, and lay down on the couch, happy with himself.

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><p><em>Review!<em>


	6. Mixed Feelings

_Yo! I must admit that this chapter is the longest one I have ever written so far, so I have to admit that I'm rather proud of myself._

_And yes I know that this chapter was uploaded rather quickly, and that's because I already had half of it written._

_Onward, to the show!_

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><p><strong>Forbidden Fruit<strong>

**Chapter Six:** Mixed Feelings

"Madeline, wake up."

She felt a hand on her arm, shaking her lightly as she slowly drifted awake. Arthur was standing above her with a rather bored expression.

"If you're going to work for me, you're going to get up like everybody else does." He walked out of the room and closed the door in order to give her some privacy. She glanced out the window on the way to her clothes to see that there was another raging snow storm in action. Meaning she was surely stuck here for even longer. She sighed and got dressed, walking out of the room to greet him.

Arthur was at the front door, ready and waiting, and she followed him down to the first floor. Although, instead of going to the gift shop, he led her down another hallway. When he saw her obvious look of confusion he decided to relieve the confusion.

"I'm taking you to my personal office first in order to do some filing. Since I hate it. Think of yourself as my personal secretary." Arthur winked, making her blush and look down at the floor. Next he heard her gasp in surprise when he opened his door, revealing multiple stacks of paper about two feet high littering his desk.

Arthur put a hand on the small of her back and coaxed her into the room, "I'll be back in an hour, hop to it." And with that, he shut the door behind her and left.

Madeline stared at the papers for a moment, unmoving. _'How could someone possibly have this much paperwork?' _Though she had only known him for a few days, she was beginning to think he was somewhat of a lazy slacker. She inched closer to the desk, almost frightened by the amount. Glancing around the medium sized office, she noticed how extremely plain and empty it was. His apartment had nice furniture, so why didn't his office?

Also, during her examination, she realized there wasn't a file cabinet. Just an armoire, desk, chair, and computer were present. _'Where does he expect me to put it when I finish?' _The questions running through her head were endless. She remembered that she only had an hour time limit and decided to start. Grabbing the first handful, she flipped through the pages, skim reading the words written.

From what she could make out, they were hard copy files of "customers". All had women's names and more information concerning them, and also what they purchased. Seeing the prices and information on exactly what they bought made Madeline embarrassed, seeing as there were Male names on the lists. Soon enough she decided to stop being nosey and just continue on with the job appointed to her.

It didn't take her long, seeing as before she became the travelling retriever for her father's museum, she had a desk job behind the scenes. Madeline dropped the tack she was working on, abruptly remembering that she hadn't talked to her father since her incident. She rushed to the other side of the desk and picked up the land line receiver. There was no dial tone, meaning the weather had interfered with the phone lines. Her heart sunk in her chest, her father was probably freaking out back home, since he could be very protective of them at times. Then she thought about her brother, he was probably worried too. She had to talk to them the first chance she got.

Her work had begun to go along a little slower since her mood was pulled down by the grief, but she managed to finish on time. As she waited for Arthur to come and get her, she sat in his over-sized chair and thought of ways to entertain herself as time went by. Her attention was caught by the computer when a dinging noise was made; she looked at the screen and saw a small icon in the lower corner, signifying an email. She looked to the door, and back at the computer.

'_No, no. It's rude to read other people's emails.' _She was taught to be a polite young lady by her father, but that didn't mean she tended to do stupid things with her brother. Another noise was made, and her reluctance was slowly crumbling. Glancing at the clock on the wall, it said there was another five minutes until it was time for Arthur to come and get her.

She put her hand on the mouse and hovered the cursor over the icon._ 'Only read the sender and the synopsis, that it!' _She repeated this in her mind and made sure to not open them, since it'd give her away.

_From: Alistair _

_The Anniversary is in a week. We expect you to be there._

She frowned, _'Anniversary?'_ She heard someone coming down the hall towards the office and quickly turned the monitor off and put on a strained smile. The door opened and Arthur poked his head in, seeing the papers in neater stacks on his desk. Before he could say anything, Madeline shot up out of the chair and sped passed him into the hallway, notifying him that she had finished along the way. She felt kind of bad, being nosey and rude, but dismissed it since she didn't know anything about it and it wasn't her business to know.

Arthur caught up to her, "You're next job is in the shop, when you're finished with that, you can go back up to my place and wait for me." He left her alone again and she continued on her way to the shop. When she arrived, Gilbert was already there stacking merchandise and there was another man labeling price stickers on the other side of the room. Upon her entry, the man looked over at her and smiled brightly, putting down his work and walking over to greet her.

"Yo, I'm Matthias."

Madeline squinted at him, "You were in the room the first day I was here…"

He laughed, his sky blue eyes glittering, "How could you tell?"

"Your hair." She looked at it, seeing how it sort of pointed skywards in the front. It was definitely unique, she could honestly say.

"Of course, it was. I have to apologize though, since we couldn't get… Better acquainted when we first met." As he spoke he leaned in closer to her, making her take a step back.

"Boss said not to touch her." Gilbert spoke with a serious tone from the other side of the room.

"Damn!" Matthias pouted and walked back to his job in defeat, stomping like a child.

Gilbert walked to stand beside her. "You'll have to ignore him, he tends to be playful."

Madeline nodded in understanding and looked up at him, "And what is it that I am supposed to be doing today?"

He slung an arm around her shoulders and walked her into a separate part of the room. Madeline wasn't weirded out by him at all; she was beginning to think of him as a really good friend and counted him as one of the only good things that has happened to her since her being here. She saw boxes on the floor and an empty hanging rack in front of her.

"You need to take the outfits out of the boxes and hang them according to size." He pushed the first box towards her with his foot. "I'll come and help you when I'm done doing my share."

She nodded and watched as he went off, seeing the duct tape on the box she searched around for scissors, and successfully opened the box. There was a flash of frills and lace and leather. _Those _kinds of outfits. She wondered why she kept getting surprised by things; she was in a sex club after all.

Pulling out the revealing dresses and two piece outfits, she looked at the tags and arranged them by size. There were police uniforms, nurse outfits, some that looked like old fairy tales, referees, some weird leather things, and things she couldn't even decipher. All for women. It took her maybe two hours to line the entire wall with outfits, the noise of the two men bickering and joking behind her keeping her entertained. She looked to the empty boxes and saw that she had missed one. Picking it up, she skimmed the neckline, but there was no tag.

"Gilbert, this one's missing a tag."

"Just throw it out, there's plenty anyway."

Deciding to get a closer look at the clothes, she held it up against her torso. It was a simple little dress, only reaching to about mid-thigh. It was colored a light sky-blue, the sleeves short and slightly puffed around the shoulders. The collar was a very, very low scoop neck. A big, silk black bow circled the waist, tying in the back, and the edges of the dress were trimmed with white lace.

She couldn't explain it, but she didn't want to throw the thing out. She was known for having feelings for almost _anything_. She turned to look for a bag of some sort to stash it in. Finding a black plastic bag with the club's logo on it, she stuffed it in the bag and threw it over her shoulder. As she walked to the door she waved and said goodbye to both Gilbert and Matthias and made her way to the elevator.

When she made it back in the apartment, she spent a good half hour staring at the black bag on the table in front of her. She mentally scolded herself from letting herself fall to temptations multiple times in one day, whatever happened to her sense of upright?

Giving in, she grabbed the bag and headed to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She stripped and held the dress out in front of her, _'Am I really doing this?' _the shoulder-devil threatened to pop out again, but she had already decided that she would at least try it on.

Throwing the fabric over her head, she pulled it down over her body and put her arms through the holes. When she was done, she looked down and was met with boobs. It would only take about another inch and she would be flashing anybody that looked. She hurried into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, turning a full circle. She had to admit, it was cute, but it was the fact that it was so short that she was constantly pulling the skirt down, only to have to pull the top up. It might have been good on another girl, but not her. It was unusual to see herself in a dress, she mostly wore jeans and hooded jackets, being as shy as she was.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a door open; she went to the bedroom door and peeked out, seeing Gilbert walk into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?"

Gilbert shot his gaze to her and was about to say something but stopped when he realized her current attire, "Why are you wearing that?"

Madeline blushed and moved to stand half behind the door jam, "I-I asked first…"

Gilbert shrugged and turned to the kitchen sink. She ignored her revealing clothes and went to stand and look over his shoulder when he pulled something out of his pocket.

'What are you doing?" Madeline gaped at the albino as he wrapped a rubber band around Arthur's detachable water hose on the kitchen sink.

"I'm just getting my proper revenge on the British bastard for what he did to me last week." He angled the hose until it was facing him and put it back in place.

"What did he do?"

Gilbert paused what he was doing to look her in the eye. "He super glued my Xbox 360 controller to my table."

Madeline flinched; she wasn't a gamer but knew that if she was, she would be super angry too.

For a while now, Arthur and Gilbert tended to play pranks on each other every time they could, call it a civil rivalry. Sure, what Gilbert was doing had to be one of the oldest pranks in the book, but it was effective none the less.

"But he'll get so angry!" Madeline was wringing her hands as she stood behind him and peered over his shoulder. She knew exactly what he was doing. Her brother managed to get away with the same thing a couple times in the past.

Gilbert turned to look at her and pointed to his face, "Does it look like I give a shit?"

Madeline frowned, "N-no."

"Alright. Now, be a good little birdie and don't give this away when he comes back. That would be totally not awesome." And with that, he walked out of the apartment and went his own way. Leaving her to stand and weigh out her options.

She could either be a Good Samaritan or warn him about it.

Or she could sit back and watch as the man who has become an emotional terrorist during the past few weeks get absolutely humiliated beyond belief.

Making her decision, she walked into the living room to sit on the couch, which had a perfect view of the sink, and waited for his arrival.

**XXXXXXX**

Arthur opened his door and stepped into the foyer, setting down his newest stack of paperwork and shrugging off his jacket. As he walked into the kitchen, he spotted Madeline sitting on the couch with a book hiding her face. With a closer look he noticed the smile threatening to reveal itself.

His brows furrowed, "Is something wrong?"

Without looking up she hummed and shook her head, signaling a _'no'._ Though the smile never left. Ignoring it, he stood in front of the kitchen sink to wash the ink that stained his skin from his pen exploding earlier. Turning on the cold water, he jumped in surprise as his entire front was doused in ice cold liquid.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?" He fought against the water to blindly search for the handle and shut it off.

A few moments later, he turned around to inspect himself, seeing that his white dress shirt was now transparent, and his floor soaked. He shot his gaze up to Madeline when he heard her laughing uncontrollably and almost falling off of the couch. He flicked his now drenched bangs from covering his emerald eyes, which were seething with anger.

"Do you find something funny?" Arthur glared at the girl sitting on his couch, with her knees drawn up to her chest and hands clamped over her mouth in a desperate act of hiding her fit of giggles, since she realized he wasn't laughing with her. She shook her head quickly and snorted behind her hands, her cheeks impossibly red.

He stormed over to the couch, his white shirt sticking to his bod, almost like a second skin. He heard her gasp as he loomed over her, with either hand on the back of the couch, closing her in and leaning down until his face mirrored her own. "Really now? Because it seems like you're enjoying this. Now tell me, who is responsible for this?"

His question was met with silence and she stared at him like a fish out of water. The cold water droplets began to fall from his hair and onto her exposed skin, making her shiver lightly. She could see the visible anger tick in his jaw, and the fire in his eyes.

"I'll ask you again. Who-" his words were stopped as she lunged towards him and clashed her lips against his. She managed to catch him off-guard, once again. She reached out and wove her fingers into his wet hair, pressing her lips harder against his. Arthur let her stay in control for a while, until he lost it when he felt her tongue run along his bottom lip.

His hand went from the edge of the furniture and around her middle, pulling her torso up and against his. This made her arch off of the couch to sit on her knees. He opened his mouth to dart his tongue into hers, victoriously gaining control of the liplock and tasting every inch of her mouth. He then brought his other arm behind her knees to make her stand on the couch. She became taller compared to him and wrapped her arms around his neck completely, cradling his head and never breaking the kiss.

When they finally broke apart for much needed air, he moved on to lightly nibble on her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Madeline's hands moved down to rub his soaked chest and yearned to touch his uncovered skin.

She felt a button underneath her fingers with it, trying to undo the cursed thing. The hand that was on her back snaked down to grab her behind and squeeze, making her squeak nervously and miss the button hole. She heard a chuckle and squeaked again when he bit down on her collarbone, surely leaving a mark.

She managed to get three buttons undone and splayed her hand against his unrestricted chest, feeling the heated skin beneath her fingers. Arthur kissed her again, making her moan into his mouth lightly. Never in her life had she been kissed like this before. She had never felt this _want_, this_ need_ for her from another.

The audible click of a doorknob turning made them freeze. She reluctantly tore her lips away from his and looked towards the front door, seeing a familiar flash of silver. She heard Arthur curse under his breath and it clicked in her head exactly what kind of position they were in. She panicked and pushed at his chest, writhing out of his hold on her. Before the visitor managed to make it into the living space, Madeline had already locked herself in his room.

Arthur growled in frustration and sat down on the couch, grabbing a throw pillow and covering his evident hard-on, staring daggers into the man's skull.

"Worst. Timing. Ever." There was an obvious trace of venom in the Brit's words.

Gilbert frowned, completely oblivious to what he had just walked in on and interrupted. The frown soon vanished when he saw Arthur's damp attire. "I see you got my present."

Arthur's eyes widened as he pictured launching himself at his _'best friend'_ and ripping out his organs.

"Get out."

"What's up your ass?"

"I said get out."

Gilbert, clearly getting the message, walked out and left Arthur to his own thoughts. He couldn't necessarily think straight, what with all of his blood rushing to the pressing matter residing in his pants. He knew that she wouldn't be coming out any time soon, but he was getting tired real quick of these cat and mouse games they keep playing.

"Madeline. Come in here." He didn't bother with going to get her. He heard a door open and also didn't bother looking up when she shuffled into the living room and stood in front of him on the couch.

"Sit."

She obeyed and sat down as far away from his as possible, crossing her arms over her middle.

"We need to discuss a few things."

He saw her look around nervously out of the corner of his eye. "Um… Could we possibly discuss things over food?"

He thought for a moment, "Because of the weather, we can't go anywhere. And I don't have much."

"Do you have syrup?"

"…Yes?"

"Then I'll make pancakes." With that said she stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen. Arthur watched as she searched through cabinets, finding the flour and pan and moving to the fridge. He couldn't help but admire her as she cooked; the silence around them was pleasant.

A few moments later, she walked back to the couch, carrying two plates full of the hot cakes and forks, she handed him his plate and took hers with her to sit next to him, this time closer. He looked down at the food drowned in maple syrup. He didn't really have a sweet tooth, but didn't want to be rude, so he took a bite.

"…Oh my god."

She looked up at him from her plate, "What is it? Did I put in too much vanilla?"

"N-no, it's just that…. These are amazing." He wolfed down another bite and ended up finishing his plate sooner than her. He'd have to ask her to cook more often. He saw her blush from his compliment from out of the corner of his eye and watched as she took another bite gingerly.

"So… You said we need to discuss some things?" She asked, her voice sounding a little small.

Arthur set his now empty plate down on the coffee table and sat with his arms crossed, "I believe that if we have a civil discussion, things won't be as tense around here between us. And I think we can both agree that there is some-" He paused, trying to find the best word to describe what he was trying to explain, "-sexual tension between you and I."

Madeline's fork stopped halfway to her mouth, and she cleared her throat. Arthur's eyebrows rose, "I take it you know it too, since it was you who _attacked_ me earlier."

She shrieked, "I DID NOT _attack_ you!"

"Moving on. I think you should begin with asking each other questions so that we can get to know one another better. You go first."

Madeline fished around in her mind for a suitable question, yes, she had millions of questions, but some she was too afraid to ask. So she decided to start off simple, "How did you come to own this place?"

Arthur sighed, "When my parents died I had a choice. Either carry on the secret family business, which is this, or watch a bunch of dusty old things for days on end. I chose the one that would be more entertaining."

"Oh… I'm sorry for your loss."

He waved it off, "It was years ago. Alright, my turn. What brought you here?"

"I already told you. I was sent by the museum I work for to retrieve the King Tut artifact."

"I know, I was just making sure you weren't lying in order to get closer to me."

She was entirely oblivious to his sexual remark, "Why would I want to get closer to you?"

"Harsh. Your turn."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Do you have any other family?"

"Five brothers."

She gaped, "That's quite a handful…"

He shrugged, already used to that kind of reaction. "And you?"

"A brother and a father. My mother was never in the picture."

Arthur nodded and she decided to press on. "Exactly, what kinds of people work here?"

"All kinds, mostly men."

"What I meant to say is, I've met a German, and a Dane, and two others that I wasn't exactly sure of their accents."

Arthur paused to think for a moment, putting a list together in his head. "Let's see, there are two Germans, a Dane, a Hungarian, an Austrian, a Swede, a Dutch, a Spaniard, a Grecian, a Turk, a Russian, and last but not least, me."

"So this place is a cultural melting pot…" She said it as more of a statement than a question.

"You could say that. My question; Are you frightened of me?"

He managed to catch her off-guard with his question again, "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean you always use the little mouse tactics around me. Do you not want to admit that you're attracted to me? And don't say that you're not because I know for a fact that you are." While he was speaking, he moved closer to her, pinning her into the corner of the couch and causing her to be trapped underneath him.

"I… It's just that… I'm not used to things like this. I've never done anything in my life. I've always been focused on things like school and getting farther in the world. And no one ever really seemed to notice me… So I never tried." Her eyes had begun to well with tears as she spoke. She had never admitted out loud that she knew she was a socially awkward butterfly and it hurt knowing. What made him so special?

Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his hand against her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear that managed to escape. He caught her gaze and stared deeply into her watery, violet eyes behind her glasses, "I know for a fact that that's not true. Look, it might seem a bit… odd when I say this, but I think you are a very beautiful young woman. I've been putting a lot of thought to it, these past few days, and I want to court you."

Her heart froze, and her emotions became a jumbled mess in her throat. It was true that whenever he was in range her body became heated and her mind foggy. It was true that she was kept awake at night, constantly thinking of him. But there was something holding her back from saying yes, and she thought that now would be the best time to bring it to the light.

"Do you have sex with strangers for money?"

Now it was Arthur's turn to be caught off-guard. He ran a hand through his sandy hair and leaned back away from her, "Yes and no."

"That's not a good enough answer."

He sighed, _'might as well come clean… Bullocks.'_

"Yes, because women pay me to give them release through sexual acts, and I admit, they're not innocent times. And no, because I haven't had actual intercourse with any customer in the past six months. And I intend to keep it that way."

She was silent, breaking down his words in her head. She still had her doubts, but her heart was becoming substantially stronger than her mind. "Alright."

"Alright what?"

"I'll be your…" The word died on her tongue, it would have to take some getting used to.

He visibly perked at her words, "On one condition."

He deflated, "What condition?"

She stood from the couch and moved to stand in front of him, "We take things slow."

"I can do slow."

She smiled softly and leaned down to peck him on the lips, giving him a silent message of good night. She then walked around the couch to walk into the master bedroom, closing the door behind her.

**XXXXXXX**

Madeline was awoken violently by her nightmare; her entire body was shaking and sweaty. She wrapped her arms around her and shivered. There nightmares were back. She had had one every night for the past two weeks. Though she wasn't surprised by it, she had one almost every single night until she was fifteen. What surprised her were the realistic features.

A man. A solid, dark figure was constantly chasing her through a forest. Though it wasn't just any forest, it was a deep red; the trees resembled veins, reaching to the vibrant crimson sky above. No matter how far she ran, she saw the same. Until the man finally caught her, and it was over. That's when she would wake up. Only her brother knew she had these nightmares, since he shared a room with her when they were children. She made him swear not to tell anyone.

She took deep breaths and ran a shaking hand over her face, wiping away the tears. Throwing the covers off of her, she crept silently to the door and peeked outside to see that Arthur was still asleep on the couch, she was afraid that one night her nightmares would wake him, since Alfred said that sometimes she would scream. Seeing that the coast was clear, she tiptoed into the kitchen and got a glass of water. On her way back to her room, she stole a glance towards Arthur.

He had taken his shirt off, giving her a full view of his torso, which made her blush heavily. His hair had fallen over his eyes and she had to urge to push it out of the way but suppressed it. His arm was hanging off of the side of the side and the couch and onto the floor. He looked so uncomfortable but peaceful at the same time, how she managed do look that way she didn't know. She stopped her admiration and went back to her room.

She took a few steps forward and the space around her became hazy and blurred. It looked like the room was spinning. Her chest was suddenly on fire, the pain so strong that it made her clutch her shirt in her hand tightly and grit her teeth. The glass in her hand fell to the floor, creating a loud crash and shattering glass all over the floor. She fell to her knees and her hands shot out to catch herself, the glass digging into her palms and making them bleed. The pain became even more intense and she screamed, her vision quickly becoming black around the edges. She last thing she could hear her quickened heartbeat ringing in her ears and someone calling out to her, and then there was silence.

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><p><em>Oh dear, what could've possibly happened to poor Maddie? Review and find out in the chapters to come.<em>


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